A proposed USAF fatigue evaluation program based upon recent systems experience

The United States Air Force has published a document entitled Aircraft Structural Integrity Program. One phase of the program is concerned with the fatigue life certification of all types of military aircraft. The document describes the criteria, analyses, and tests that are necessary in order to satisfy the USAF fatigue life requirement. Some recent and valid criticism has been directed toward the document, particularly the fatigue-life requirements contained in it. Some changes are proposed based on surveys conducted in the United States and abroad as well as some recent systems' experience. The surveys covered both military and civilian organizations. The fatigue certification case histories of selected military and commercial aircraft are presented. The design development element tests, preproduction design verification tests, and full-scale fatigue tests of each are described. A brief status report on the revisions to the MIL-A-008860 series specifications is included

Identification and Analysis of Pathogenic Bacteria from Imported Frozen Tilapia

Tilapia is one of the most commonly eaten fish in the United States, yet little is known about the bacteria that it could carry. Because the vast majority of tilapia are raised and processed outside the United States, it is possible that there is less control of its bacterial content due to a higher chance of exposure to environments that could lead to the retention and/or introduction of pathogenic bacterial species. Therefore, it is important to determine if the tilapia sold commercially in the United States carry pathogenic bacteria that could pose a significant health risk to consumers. To address this issue, a study was initiated to find potential bacterial pathogens in locally-purchased tilapia. Of the bacteria that have been isolated so far, two were studied in greater depth, Citrobacter freundii and an isolate from the Pseudomonas genus. The goal was to identify the species of the Pseudomonas isolate and to start the process of determining if the isolates were resistant to antimicrobials and carried virulence factors. After finding conditions for running robust PCR reactions, DNA was isolated from the bacteria and used to amplify the 16S rRNA gene. This amplified gene from the Pseudomonas species was sequenced and the sequence was compared to the NCBI database. The results suggest that this isolate is either a strain of Pseudomonas lundensis or an entirely new species. In testing for antimicrobial resistance, both isolates were found to be resistant to Cefoxitin and Cefazolin. Additionally, C. freundii was resistant to Streptomycin and the Pseudomonas species was resistant to Ampicillin. Virulence factors, some of which are connected to antimicrobial-resistance genes, that have previously been found in C. freundii are a major focus of future research

Governing Refugees: Justice, Order and Legal Pluralism, by Kirsten McConnachie

Governing Refugees: Justice, Order and Legal Pluralism by Kirsten McConnachie Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2014, pp. 20

Paths to a Future for Youth in Protracted Refugee Situations: A View from the Thai-Burmese Border

As youth in protracted refugee situations reach adulthood, the challenges of providing education to them have increased. Along the Thai-Burmese border, some creative approaches are being taken in order to respond to their needs. This article describes four programs, each with a different character. Although available to relatively few, they demonstrate some roles that civil society, and in particular educators and educational institutions, can play in delivering or in ensuring access to higher education for refugee youth living in protracted situations. Most critical are creativity, flexibility, and respectful collaboration betwee neducators and both refugee and host communities.En matière d’éducation, les difficultés des jeunes en situation de déplacement prolongé s’accroissent au fil des années. Le long de la frontière qui sépare la Thaïlande et la Birmane, des mesures novatrices sont mises en œuvre pour répondre aux besoins de ces jeunes. Cet article décrit quatre programmes, chacun ayant un aspect particulier. Même si peu en bénéficient, ces programmes révèlent les fonctions que peut jouer la société civile, en particulier les éducateurs et les établissements d’enseignement en offrant aux jeunes réfugiés en déplacement prolongé une éducation supérieure ou en y assurant l’accès. Les éléments primordiaux sont la créativité, la souplesse et la collaboration respectueuse entre les éducateurs et la communauté des réfugiés et la communauté d’accueil

A Survival Story from the Thai-Burmese Border: The Struggle for Education in the Burmese Community in Thailand

The Burmese refugee/migrant community on the Thai-Burmese border figures prominently among “refugee diasporas” in the world today. This article describes efforts of Burmese people within this community to provide basic education to their youth in extra-legal migrant schools in the midst of the unwelcoming environment created by the Thai government’s refugee policy. It argues that this community needs greater support than it is currently receiving in order to achieve recognition and security given the impossibility of safe and voluntary repatriation to Myanmar in the foreseeable future. The article closes with a number of specific proposals for facilitating the delivery of education to Burmese “migrant” youth in the Burmese community in Thailand through intervention by both state and nonstate actors.La communauté birmane de réfugiés/migrants à la frontière birmano-thaïlandaise est actuellement l’une des composantes importantes des « diasporas de réfugiés » dans le monde. L’article décrit les efforts du peuple birman de cette communauté, visant à offrir une éducation de base aux jeunes dans des écoles de migrants extrajudiciaires, dans le contexte d’un environnement importun créé par la politique en matière de réfugiés du gouvernement thaïlandais. Il affirme que cette communauté a besoin d’un plus grand soutien que celui qu’elle reçoit actuellement pour atteindre la reconnaissance et la sécurité, étant donné l’impossibilité d’un rapatriement sécuritaire et spontané au Myanmar dans un futur rapproché. L’article offre en conclusion bon nombre de propositions spécifiques en vue de faciliter la dispense de l’éducation à la jeunesse « migrante » de la communauté birmane de Thaïlande, grâce à l’apport d’intervenants des sphères publiques et privées

Transportation Funding Alternatives:A Preliminary Analysis - Brief

This report explores issues associated with proposed alternative revenue sources for increasing transportation for funding. FRC Brief 13

Transportation Funding Alternatives:A Preliminary Analysis

This report explores issues associated with proposed alternative revenue sources for increasing transportation for funding. FRC Report 13